Absinth

Absinth Definitions:

Absinth herb is a small plant also known as wormwood, Absinth or absinthium, from Latin meaning "bitter". It's the main ingredient in the controversial drink Absinth. The herb was used by Egyptians and Romans. Greeks said absinth was a gift from the goddess Artemisia. Used traditionally for medicine it is good for curing gout, exterminating intestinal worms, and many other uses. New medicine is being produced currently with the use of this herb. It is also used as insecticide for fleas and moths. If planted in a vegetable garden will repel small animals from eating the crops. Absinth is water soluble and therefore, close proximity with food should be avoided. In large doses the neurotoxins contained can produce convulsions and affect the nervous system.

Absinth the drink, also called Absinth is a high level alcohol. Because it started out as an elixir it comes in concentrations as high as 86%. Don't let it scare you, the reason for this is the essential oils inside would precipitate in a lower alcoholic level. Absinth is a drink used in the XIX century by poets and artist. The nice green color and it's surrounding mystique made it quite popular. The drink was banned in the 1920' and seemed to have disappeared forever.

Then, after 80 years the drink was reconsidered and the ban lifted from all of Europe. This has created a wild frenzy, misinformation and deceptive marketing have pushed the product to an unrecognizable position. Some still are scared of absinth and it's believed effects. Others by contrast, have consumed absinth and haven't noticed anything different than from common drinking. Many curios taste absinth and are repulsed by its foul taste.

This is due to the fact that brands are aiming at different markets, while most Czech brands offer high levels of thujone, the absinth they offer is very bitter. They exploit the mystique of the prohibition and the curiosity about thujone (the active ingredient in absinth), concentrating mostly in quantity rather than quality.

Other brands market themselves as absinth, again taking advantage of the confusion and buzz. Yes, some of these brands don't even have the herb absinth in them! These usually have nice flavors and are quite common in the counties where high levels of thujone are illegal. Consumers are disappointed when they try it and assume all absinth is just a big hoax.

This leaves the few brands that are trying truly to recover the original formula and its tradition, want to offer high quality products but are getting lost with all the confusion the rest of the brands are making.